Unitized battery case and counterweight



F. cfscHusTER ET AL 3,367,441

UNITIZED BATTERY CASE AND COUNTERWEIGHT Feb. s, 19 8 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 1, 1966 JQ /PX BMMJ Feb. 6, 1968 F. c. SCHUSTER ET AL3,367,441

UNITIZED BATTERY CASE AND COUNTERWEIGHT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1,1966 am/vwkohp 5 11pm? J 5 1% m ($09? E W Z M United States Patent3,367,441 UNITIZED BATTERY CASE AND COUNTERWEIGHT Frank C. Schuster,Glenwood, and Paul J. Scribner, Steger,

Ill., assignors to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Filed Apr. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 539,437 6 Claims. (Cl. 180-685) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A unitary battery case and counterweight for lift trucks.The counterweight may be integral with the case for the battery or thecase may provide compartments into which the counterweight material andbattery fit. The case and truck chassis have registering componentspreventing lateral and longitudinal movement.

In unloading ships it is often desirable to utilize a lift truck in thehold of the ship to move the cargo to and from the hatchway. Because oftheir clean operating characteristics, electric lift trucks have becomeincreasingly popular for such use. Heretofore, lift trucks have beenlifted with ship booms from the dock into the hold of the ship. However,many ships have booms which singularly do not have the capacity to liftthe desired lift truck into the hold. On some ships it is possible touse two cargo booms, but this is a considerable inconvenience. In otherinstances, the lift truck may be partially disassembled to facilitateits being loaded into the hold of the ship.

It is an object of this invention to provide a combined battery case andcounterweight assembly for an electric lift truck which is readilyremovable from the lift truck as a single unit.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined batterycase and counterweight assembly for an electric lift truck which isquickly removable to permit the battery case and counterweight assemblyand the remainder of the lift to be separately loaded on ships with aconventional cargo boom.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined batterycase and counterweight assembly which is quickly detachable from anelectric lift truck and which may be rested on a dock or other fiatsupport in its customary upright attitude.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will beapparent when the following description is read in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric lift truck incorporating a firstembodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the lift truck shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an electric lift truck incorporating a secondembodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the lift truck shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings the lift truck 11 includes achassis 12 having a flat rear platform 13 on which a combined batterycase and counterweight assembly 14 rests. The chassis 12 also includesan upright plate 15 to which a seat 47 is pivotally connected. Thebattery case portion of the combined assembly 14 includes bottom batterysupport angles 16, 17, 18 and 19 which are welded together at theirmitered corners. The rear angle 17 is welded to a cast counterweight 21and a pair of angle corner braces 22, 23, which serve also as legs, arewelded to the forward corners of the open bottom tray formed by angles16, 17, 18, 19. A pair of side rails 24, 25 are welded at their rearends to the counterweight 21 and at their forward ends to the angles 22,23. A transverse rail 26 welded at its trans- 3,367,441 Patented Feb. 6,1968 ice versely opposite ends to angles 22, 23 completes the batterycase for the main electric power battery 30. The lower central portionof the counterweight has a longitudinal opening 31 formed therein topermit access to and use of a trailer hitch 32 secured to the rear ofthe chassis 12 when the unitary battery case and counterweight assembly21 is in place. A pair of vertically extending recesses 33, 34 areformed in the counterweight for receiving lifting eyes 36, 37 welded toand extending rearwardly from the truck chassis 12. The lifting eyes 36,37 have upwardly extending hook portions 38, 39 which register withupwardly extending pockets at the upper end of recesses 33, 34, one ofthese pockets being designated 41. The leg portions of corner angles 22,23 fit in front of blocks 44, 46 welded to the side of the chassis 12.The eyes 36, 37, recesses 33, 34, angles 22, 23 and blocks 44, 46provide means releasably interconnecting the assembly 21 and the chassis12 topreven-t relative lateral and longitudinal movement.

When it is desired to remove the combined battery case and counterweightfrom the lift truck the operators seat 47 is pivoted forwardly to theposition shown by dotdash lines 48. The hooks on the lift chains arethen connected to the lift eyes 49, 51 on counterweight portion 21 andto lifting eyes 52, 53 formed on the upper ends of angles 22, 23. Upwardmovement of the combined battery case and counterweight disengages theleg portions of angles 22, 23 from the blocks 44, 46 and thecounterweight recesses 33, 34 from eyes 36, 37.

The lower end of the counterweight 21 is at approximately the sameelevation as the lower end of legs 22, 23. This permits the battery tobe in its proper upright position when the combined battery case andcounterweight is removed from the truck and rested on a flat supportsuch as the deck of a ship or the surface of the dock. After thecombined battery case and counterweight are lifted from the truck andshifted, for instance, from the dock to the hold of the ship a singlecargo boom may be employed to lift the remainder of the truck onto theship by connecting the hooks of the lifting chains to the rear eyes 36,37 and to front lifting eyes 56, 57 secured to the chassis 12 of thelift truck.

In the second embodiment of this invention, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, thecombined counterweight and battery case 71 differs from that illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the counterweight 72 does not extend downwardlyat the rear of the truck and the counterweight 72 is a container forcounterweight material such as scrap iron. The main power battery 73rests on angles 74, 75, 76 forming a bottom tray. Side rails 77, 78 arewelded at their rear ends to the counterweight box 72 and at theirforward ends to transversely opposite ends of a front rail 79. Verticalmembers 81, 82 are welded at their lower ends to channels 74, andintermediately to side rails 77, 78. Lifting eyes 83, 84 are formed inthe upper end of the members 81, 82 and a pair of lifting eyes 86, 87are welded to the counterweight portion 72. Locking members 91, 92, 93,94in the form of tapered or conically shaped legs are welded to thebottom of the combined battery case and counterweight and when thecombined assembly is installed on the rear platform of the chassis 112,these locking means fit in registering recesses or openings 96, 97, 98,99 in the lift truck chassis 112. Appropriate lifting eyes 101, 102,103, 104 are provided on the lift truck chassis to facilitate its beingloaded onto and removed from a ship by a cargo boom.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is the lessexpensive version and does not require long legs at its forward end tomaintain the battery in the proper upright position when the combinedbattery case and counterweight are separated from the electric lifttruck. Also the counterweight does not extend downwardly in the vicinityof the trailer hitch 107, thus avoiding any possible interference withsharp turning with a trailing vehicle. The tapered feature of thedownwardly extending members 91, 92, 93, 94 facilitates registering withthe pocket openings 96, 97, 98, 99 during lowering of the assembly 71onto the chassis 112.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A battery operated lift truck comprising:

a lift truck chassis having a rear platform,

a hitch on the rear of said chassis,

a combined battery case and counterweight assembly resting on saidplatform and quickly removable therefrom as a unit including,

a counterweight portion at the rear of said lift truck chassis having apart extending downwardly below said platform at the rear of saidchassis and presenting an opening permitting access to said hitch, and

a battery case portion for receiving a main power battery rigidlysecured to said counterweight portion and extending forwardly therefrom,and

means releasably interconnecting said assembly and chassis to preventrelative lateral and longitudinal movement.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and further comprising a pair offront legs on opposite sides, respectively, of said battery case portionextending downwardly therefrom to the approximate same extent as saiddownwardly extending part.

3. A battery operated lift truck comprising:

a lift truck chassis having a rear platform,

a combined battery case and counterweight assembly resting on saidplatform and quickly removable therefrom as a unit including,

a counterweight portion at the rear of said lift truck chassis having apart extending downwardly below said platform at the rear of saidchassis, and

a battery case portion for receiving a main power battery rigidlysecured to said counterweight portion and extending forwardly therefrom,

means releasably interconnecting said assembly and chassis to preventrelative lateral and longitudinal movement, and

a pair of front legs secured to and extending downward at laterallyopposite sides of said battery case portion whereby said assemblymaintains its upright position when removed from said chassis and placedon a flat support.

4. A battery operated lift truck comprising:

a lift truck chassis having a rear platform,

a combined battery case and counterweight assembly resting on saidplatform and quickly removable therefrom as a unit including,

a counterweight portion at the rear of said lift truck chassis, and abattery case portion for receiving a main power battery rigidly securedto said counterweight portion and extending forwardly therefrom, meansreleasably interconnecting said assembly and chassis to prevent relativelateral and longitudinal movement including a pocket opening in saidplatform, and a downwardly extending member on the bottom of saidassembly registering with said pocket openmg.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4 wherein said counterweight portionis a box adapted to receive counterweight material.

6. The structure set forth in claim 4 wherein said member is tapered tofacilitate registration with said pocket opening during lowering of saidassembly onto said chassis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,256,314 9/1941 Dunham 542,774,498 12/1956 Cordes et a1. 187-9 2,916,172 12/1959 Locke. 2,925,1492/1960 Hughson.

FOREIGN PATENTS 21,367 of 1894 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

MILTON L. SMITH, Examiner.

